We have our concerns about the introduction of smart meters – two in particular: most of the benefits favour the power companies and the meters could be a barrier to switching suppliers.
In our recent survey of electricity and gas suppliers, Consumer members who already had the new meters tended to agree that these weren’t so smart:
- "I wish I received more info like how much power I'm using at different times of the day." (Meridian customer)
- “I want to be able to connect via my computer to watch the level of usage.” (Mercury customer)
- “We couldn’t have the cheaper night rate without the appliance having a separate meter.” (Meridian customer).
Some people who changed suppliers also found their “smart” meter wasn’t compatible with their new provider’s equipment.
On the plus side, members appreciated monthly bills based on an actual reading … and some no longer “have to worry about the relationship between the meter man and the dog”.
The full results of our electricity survey will be available online soon.
More from consumer.org.nz
- Smart electricity meters - our 2008 report detailing how they work and our concerns about them
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I recently got a bill from Pulse Energy in excess of $1200 with no explanation and which I naturally queried. Pulse admitted that they had been reading the first three digits only for the last 4 months and that the bill was a catchup with a correct 4 digit reading. I complained that this was their mistake and that it should not be expected that the customer would have to pay for it in 1 payment. It was only after further discussions involving the Pulse rep having to discuss with his manager whilst I was put on hold that they came back and asked me what sort of payment schedule was intended. We agreed that I would pay off the catchup in 4 monthly instalments (the same period that they had been misreading). Made the first instalment and still got an overdue notice!
Meridian offer a two year fixed price pack. This seems to assume a constant increase in prices; is this correct or should I go with a different option?